My son is about to break through.

Gu Qingfeng emerged from seclusion.

It did not cause much of a stir, and even within the Immortal Dynasty, there was no disturbance.

Because of his seclusion, not many people knew about it.

Furthermore, everything is currently peaceful and stable within the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, and there are no major problems.

During this seclusion, Gu Qingfeng, with the help of five Nine-Aperture Exquisite Fruits originating from the Immortal Divine Kingdom, has advanced his cultivation from the initial stage of the Eight Tribulation Heavenly Venerable Realm to the peak of the Eight Tribulation Realm.

He was only one step away from the legendary Nine Tribulations Great Celestial Venerable realm.

In terms of strength, compared to before his seclusion, he has become more than one level stronger.

now.

As Gu Qingfeng quietly emerged from seclusion, his aura became closely connected with the fate of the Immortal Dynasty once again. As the Crown Prince, Gu Yang sensed this almost immediately and put down his official duties to pay his respects.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and congratulates you on your successful completion of the seclusion!"

Gu Yang stepped into the magnificent yet empty immortal palace and respectfully bowed to the figure standing with his hands behind his back, whose aura was becoming increasingly profound and unfathomable.

He could sense that his father seemed even more ordinary and unremarkable than before his seclusion.

But the occasional glimpse of Daoist charm in those eyes, as they opened and closed, sent a shiver down his spine—an instinctive awe born from the vast difference in their life levels.

"Get up."

Gu Qingfeng turned around, his gaze calmly landing on Gu Yang. He nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Gu Yang's growth over this period.

"How has the situation been in the Immortal Dynasty lately? Are there any troublesome matters?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yang's expression turned serious, and he quickly replied.

"Reporting to Father Emperor, everything is normal in the Immortal Dynasty. The territory is stable, the people are recuperating and living in peace, and the fortune is steadily increasing."

Although there have been sporadic skirmishes on the border, they have all been quelled by General Luo Tian's army and are no longer a significant threat.

He paused slightly, and with a flash of light in his hand, dozens of jade slips radiating various colors and inscribed with intricate runes appeared, which he presented with both hands.

"However, some of these matters concern major national policies, resource allocation, and even territorial governance strategies. They are far-reaching and have a profound impact. Although I have some limited insights, I dare not draw any conclusions, lest any mistakes be made and affect the foundation of the nation."

These are all documents that I, your son, have meticulously compiled and summarized, including preliminary plans drafted by me and the cabinet. I humbly request Your Majesty to make the final decision!

The decisions recorded in these jade slips are all major matters that could affect hundreds of millions of living beings and even determine the development direction of the immortal dynasty for tens of thousands of years to come.

As the crown prince, Gu Yang was well aware of the boundaries of his power. On matters that could affect the fate of the nation, he could only offer suggestions, while the final decision-making power had to be held by Gu Qingfeng, the ruler of the Immortal Dynasty.

Looking at the numerous jade slips floating in front of him, Gu Qingfeng's divine sense spread out instantly like invisible mercury, gently sweeping over them.

In an instant, a massive amount of information, data, analysis, pros and cons, and several alternative plans flooded into his mind like a tide, and were instantly understood, digested, and deduced by his incomparably powerful soul.

For a while.

The vast celestial palace fell silent. Only the faint light flowing across the surface of the jade slip illuminated Gu Qingfeng's calm and expressionless face.

Gu Yang held his breath and stood quietly to the side, not daring to make the slightest sound, for fear of disturbing his father's thoughts.

After a long time.

The light in Gu Qingfeng's eyes gradually subsided, and his divine sense withdrew from the jade slip.

He looked at Gu Yang with a faint expression of approval: "Your proposed solution is well thought out and well-balanced. Although it is a bit conservative, it is the safest option. Just follow your decision."

"My son, I obey!"

Gu Yang made up his mind and quickly agreed.

Finally, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have thought of something and added, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable air.

"By imperial decree, one hundred years from now, I will personally expound the Great Dao in the chaotic void."

"Any cultivator within the territory of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty, regardless of their cultivation level, is welcome to attend this lecture!"

This sentence.

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Gu Yang's expression suddenly changed, his eyes filled with disbelief, as he had just breathed a sigh of relief.

sermon!

Such things are not uncommon in the cultivation world.

However, generally speaking, cultivators who choose to preach in public usually do not have very high cultivation levels.

Most of them are stuck at the peak of the Great Emperor realm, just one step away from immortality.

They hope to gather the power and merit of all beings through preaching, so as to help themselves break through the bottleneck of the Heavenly Venerable realm.

Whenever a Celestial Venerable who has attained immortality preaches, the news is enough to shake many immortal realms and draw countless cultivators.

After all, it was a being that had already attained immortality and transcended the level of mortal life!

Don't be fooled by the fact that the number of Celestial Venerables under the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty has increased with the expansion of its territory. Understand that the number of Immortal Realms controlled by the Immortal Dynasty is in the millions, and the number of living beings is in the trillions.

With such a massive pool of applicants, only a very small number will ultimately rise to the position of Celestial Venerable, with a probability so low it's almost despairing.

It is evident how difficult it is to break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm!

Therefore, any celestial being preaching is an unimaginable opportunity for cultivators who have failed to achieve immortality, enough to drive them mad.

However, most of the Celestial Venerables who were willing to preach publicly were only early-stage Celestial Venerables at the first or second tribulation stage.

Powerful individuals at the Three Tribulations Celestial Venerable Realm or above rarely waste time on public sermons.

Not to mention, a Celestial Venerable of Gu Qingfeng's level!
Although Gu Yang wasn't entirely clear about the exact level of his father's cultivation after his seclusion, he was absolutely certain that Gu Qingfeng was undoubtedly at the top in terms of strength.

In this age where immortality is no longer possible, he is one of the very few who truly stand at the pinnacle of all the heavens and myriad realms.

Gu Yang understood without even needing to think about it deeply.

Once this news is officially released, it will cause an earth-shattering shock!

It's likely that not only the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty's territory, but also countless surrounding immortal realm forces will be moved by the news.

Suppressing the shock and turmoil in his heart, Gu Yang knew that this matter was of great importance and needed to be arranged immediately and properly.

He immediately bowed and solemnly replied, "Your subject understands. This matter is of great importance. Your subject will make arrangements immediately to ensure that the preaching will proceed without any mishaps a hundred years from now!"

After saying this, he bowed again and hurriedly left the Immortal Palace to make arrangements for related matters.

In the Immortal Palace.

Then only Gu Qingfeng remained. He paced to the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of palace walls, looking towards the boundless starry sky and the deeper chaos. "The Netherworld Path has reached the peak of the eighth level. Only one opportunity is needed to break through to the ninth level and truly touch the threshold of immortality."

Gu Qingfeng muttered to himself, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"A hundred years from now, I will preach the Dao to all living beings, gathering hundreds of millions of cultivators to listen to the voice of the Great Dao. I wonder if the immense power of all living beings can directly help me break through the barriers and step into the Nine Tribulations Realm!"

His preaching was certainly not a benevolent act without a reason.

Like other cultivators who preach, Gu Qingfeng's core purpose in this action was to use the power of all living beings to assist in deducing his own Great Dao.

After all, his Netherworld Path has already reached the peak of the eighth level. There seems to be only a thin barrier in front of him, but if he wants to break through it by relying on his own hard work, who knows how many tens of thousands of years it will take.

However, if this lecture can be used to gather the power of hundreds of millions of cultivators within the territory, it may greatly accelerate the process and directly seize that fleeting opportunity for breakthrough.

of course.

Gu Qingfeng also knew that this kind of thing was a double-edged sword and should not be done frequently.

While using the power of all living beings to deduce the Great Dao can certainly accelerate the process, it is also like drinking poison to quench thirst, and carries hidden dangers.

Once or twice, it's possible to break through the bottleneck by leveraging its power.

If one preaches too many times, and one's own Great Way is exposed to the chaotic thoughts and understandings of all beings for a long time, then it is hard to say whether the Great Way one ultimately walks will be a pure Way belonging entirely to oneself, or a Way of all beings influenced by the thoughts of all beings and mixed with countless impurities.

After all.

There is only one true path, but countless interpretations.

Everyone is different. Even when listening to the same great path, each person's foundation, experience, and temperament are different, resulting in completely different understandings and insights.

Preaching too frequently, and being constantly enveloped and permeated by these chaotic thoughts, is harmful and not beneficial. It may even lead to one's own Daoist heart being clouded and one straying from the path of the Great Dao.

As for the merits that preaching can bring, to be honest, Gu Qingfeng didn't value it too much.

After all, in the process of destroying the Nine Netherworld Divine Kingdom and slaying countless evil gods, the human merit he had accumulated had already reached an astonishing level.

At times like these, the humanitarian merit that preaching can bring is merely icing on the cake for him, and naturally it doesn't hold much appeal.

After all.

Merit is indeed a good thing; it can protect oneself, avert disasters and difficulties, and even assist in spiritual practice.

However, it depends on the situation. For a powerhouse like Gu Qingfeng, ordinary acts of charity have a very limited direct effect on improving his cultivation.

and so.

Gu Qingfeng's purpose in giving this lecture was clear and unambiguous—to use the power of all living beings to deduce his own Great Dao and seek an opportunity to break through the Nine Tribulations.

As for how much humanitarian merit one can gain from preaching, that is of little concern to me.

……

the other side.

After leaving the palace, Gu Yang immediately summoned his senior officials and issued the Immortal Emperor's decree with the highest honors.

soon.

The news that the Xuan Tian Immortal Emperor would personally expound the Great Dao in the Chaos a hundred years later was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves. It swept through every corner controlled by the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty at an incredible speed, like wildfire, and even spread to other distant territories.

Almost every cultivator who received this news was immediately restless and unable to sit still!
After a brief moment of shock and disbelief came extreme ecstasy and eagerness.

Countless cultivators who had been in seclusion were awakened by their teachers and friends, and countless cultivators who were traveling abroad changed their itineraries. Everyone's goal was surprisingly the same.

That is—the Mysterious Celestial Realm!
Streams of light shot into the sky from various immortal realms, riding all sorts of treasures and mounts, and even spending huge sums of money to use inter-realm teleportation arrays, converging on the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm from all directions like rivers flowing into the sea.

The starry sky surrounding the Immortal Realm became more lively than ever before, with cultivators visible everywhere.

Even ancient beings who had been in seclusion in the depths of chaos for countless millennia and were almost forgotten were alarmed upon hearing this news and broke out of their seclusion one after another.

Their gazes pierced through the endless void, landing in the direction of the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm.

The reason is simple.

This is because the person giving the sermon is none other than the Xuan Tian Immortal Emperor—Gu Qingfeng!

This person, whose reputation is currently at its peak, is recognized as one of the strongest below the Immortal level!

The news of his slaying of a top-tier god-king and surviving from the hands of an immortal had already spread throughout the heavens, establishing his supreme reputation.

In this era where immortals dare not easily reveal themselves, a powerhouse of Gu Qingfeng's caliber is already a true figure standing at the pinnacle of all heavens, an existence that is both awe-inspiring and unattainable.

Now that a powerhouse of this caliber is about to publicly preach, this is an unprecedented opportunity for all cultivators in the myriad realms!

If one can hear the true meaning of the Great Dao during this sermon and comprehend some of the mysteries of cultivation and even immortality, one might be able to save oneself millions of years, or even longer, of blind and arduous practice.

Although millions of years may not be much for many veteran celestial beings, the path of cultivation becomes more and more difficult as one progresses. A clear guide or an opportunity for sudden enlightenment is of immeasurable value!
With an opportunity to achieve a faster breakthrough and see the road ahead clearly presented, who would want to miss it?

and so.

All of a sudden.

Outside the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm, the number of powerful individuals is growing explosively.

Temporary cave dwellings and floating immortal mountains and pavilions are everywhere in the starry sky. Cultivators from different immortal realms and races throng the area, turning this originally relatively peaceful starry sky into an unprecedentedly prosperous and bustling gathering place for cultivators.

The vast majority of these powerful outsiders who flocked to the area were from within the territory of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty.

However, the spread of information cannot be completely controlled.

Even outside the territory of the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty, many other divine kingdoms, forces, and powerful figures among the rogue cultivators were all excited upon hearing this news and rushed towards the Xuantian Immortal Realm without stopping for a moment.

Although the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty had stated beforehand that, in principle, only cultivators within the territory of the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty were qualified to listen to the Great Dao during this lecture.

But with such a large number of cultivators arriving at this moment, a mixed bag of individuals, and countless auras, who could accurately discern whether they belonged to the territory of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty?

Even with its immense power, the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty could not possibly conduct a rigorous identity check and tracing of every cultivator who came to listen to the lecture in a short period of time.

This creates loopholes that can be exploited.

Under such circumstances, naturally, a large number of extraterrestrial cultivators, harboring侥幸 (a sense of luck) and intending to take advantage of the chaos, mingled among the massive crowd and quietly entered the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm, waiting to preach a hundred years later.

but.

Despite the significant increase in the number of cultivators in the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm, no major disturbances have occurred.

This is because this is the Xuan Tian Immortal Realm, right under the nose of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty.

To cause trouble here would be tantamount to courting death. (End of Chapter)